1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of packaging equipment and, more particularly, to portable structures that may be used to facilitate the packaging of articles for shipment. Still more particularly, the portable structure includes a wheeled cart providing a compact, organized shipping station capable of rapidly dispensing a variety of packaging materials at various points of use.
2. Statement of the Problem
An essential activity in the shipping or transportation of many goods is the precaution of packaging these goods to protect them from damage during transport. Warehouse space that is dedicated to a traditional "shipping department" often serves to fulfil this need; however, a dedicated shipping department consumes space that cannot also be used to hold inventory or conduct other operations. Accordingly, the small dimensions of many such departments induce major trouble upon minor deviations from the routine. For example, the requirement of repackaging improperly packed goods or adjusting shipment contents after their initial packaging can correspondingly induce confusion, lost shipment orders, and significant delays in throughput.
The past two decades or so have witnessed the development and widespread application of greatly improved packaging materials. These materials include commercially available foam wrap, bubble wrap, styrofoam filler materials, polyester films, and other plastic products. The exceptional strength and shock-adsorption capabilities of these new materials have substantially changed packaging techniques. Devices that were once used to dispense such packaging materials as brown wrapping paper and string are now typically obsolete.
Mitten, U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,962, discloses a combined wrapping and taping work table for shipping department use. The rectangular table is mounted upon four small caster wheels, and provides a number of interior chambers that may be used to retain various label dispensers and upright rolls of packaging paper. The top portion of the work table presents a single, flat working surface formed of a fixed lid member covering the large paper rolls, and a hinged lid member that provides access to the label dispensers. The upright rolls of paper are each controlled through a paper dispensing stand including a base, an upright standard or pole received within an open center of the rolled paper, and a spring-pressed brake arm for preventing excessive unrolling of paper. Rolled paper is obtained from beneath the table in an action that requires the operator to stoop for that purpose.
The device of the Mitten patent is mounted upon four small casters that provide for poor overall mobility of the device. The casters provide four independent pivot points that induce poor steerability. Additionally, casters of this type typically exhibit poor durability under heavy loads. The wrapping paper, which is positioned beneath the table top, is difficult to access. Furthermore, aside from the working surface, the device has no storage for either packed or unpacked boxes, and the device is unable to dispense bulky modern packaging materials. Accordingly, the device is not truly mobile in the sense of providing a vehicle for the rapid deployment of modern packaging materials to various points of use.
There remains a heartfelt need for the development of an organizer and dispenser of modern packaging materials to provide a truly self-contained, rugged, portable, and compact station.